Dying
by Gideon's Dreamer
Summary: Duo's big mouth almost got him killed, and Heero was too mean to pay attention. Before Duo passed out on the way to the hospital, Usagi comes to the rescue. Yaoi hints, but nothing to be afraid of-- Yet.
1. Duo's POV - Big Mouth and an Angel

Ok, I know that I should be writing the 6th chapter of "The Gifted", but an idea for a   
story popped into my head while I was at work today. I wanted to start on it before I forgot   
about it. And I believe that it's coming along better than my first story, with this one, I actually   
have the whole storyline mapped out. Well, I will have the next chapter of The Gifted out soon,   
but in the meantime, enjoy this.  
I don't own anything, not even a car, so don't sue me! You wouldn't get anything,   
because I don't even have a penny to my name!  
  
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3  
  
Duo's POV  
  
I knew I had a big mouth. I knew I annoyed some people, and sometimes I did it on   
purpose. I didn't think my big mouth would ever get me in so much trouble. Well, actually,   
Heero always threatened me whenever I bothered him too much, but he never acted upon it. I   
should have known better.  
You see, Heero had kicked me out of the house. I suppose he did it because I was too   
loud and he really didn't want to kill me to get me to shut up, so he just put me out. So I went   
down the street to the arcade my friend Andrew owned. I hang out there whenever Heero   
decides to kick me out of the house, which happens to be all the time. Well, when I got to the   
arcade, I noticed the fact that Andrew wasn't there. I was sort of disappointed, because I really   
wanted to talk to him. The guy behind the counter told me that Andrew was out of town visiting   
his girlfriend.  
I looked at the clock. Heero wouldn't be cooled off for at least another 2 ½ hours. I   
had to find something to do. So I wandered around the arcade. I spotted a group of guys   
surrounding my favorite game. I heard one of the guys playing boasting that he was 'THE' best   
player around when it came to that game and that the initials, DMS were his. I knew for a fact   
that this guy was lying through his teeth because those initials were mine. DMS stood for Duo   
Maxwell, Shinigami. I knew I should have left it alone and just let him boast to his friends, but I   
was looking for something to do and he was just asking for a challenge. So I walked over to   
him and called him a liar.  
The group of guys stopped talking the moment the word liar left my mouth. The punk   
who was boasting stared at me, sizing me up. Then he sneered at me and turned to his friend.  
"Do you believe this guy?!?!" the guy said to his friend with a short laugh.  
"Yeah," his friend said, "Who do you think you are?"  
I should have just turned around and left. Or better yet, I shouldn't have said anything   
in the first place. But I have a big mouth and a large ego that just gets in the way sometimes. So,   
instead of listening to my instincts, I went ahead and boasted.  
"Well, I happen to be the one who earned the highest rank on that game. I'm DMS." I   
replied.  
The boasting punk laughed at me. "DMS, huh? Does it stand for Dumb and Mighty   
Slow?" and he and his dumbass friend laughed at his stupid joke.  
I shook my head. He almost wasn't worth the trouble – Almost. Instead of backing   
down (yeah right, like I'd ever do that!) I challenged him to a game. The loser had to admit he   
lied and had to give the winner 10 bucks. Everyone thought it was fair, including the boasting   
punk, although he was reluctant to agree at first.  
10 minutes later, I had earned the highest score and put my initials right up under the   
first ones. I was happy, I did a little dance and whopped and hollered. The boasting punk   
handed over the 10 bucks, but he looked really pissed off and was reluctant to release the   
money. I felt sorry for him, so I shook his hand, told him it was a good game and that I had   
never played anyone who played as well as he did (which was a total lie, because Heero could   
kick my butt in this game with his eyes closed.)   
The punk and his friend left the arcade and the rest of the crowd dispersed and went to   
watch or play other video games. I hung out inside the arcade for a while, but I got bored   
quickly. So I decided to leave and get something to eat, after all, I did earn myself 10 dollars.   
Usually, I go to a pizza place I really like around the corner from the arcade. Depending   
on my mood, sometimes I walk around the corner, and other times I take the alleyway. That   
day, I was hungry, so I took the alleyway. How was I supposed to know that that boasting   
punk was pissed off that I made a fool of him? How was I supposed to know that the $10 he   
gave me was all the money he had? How was I supposed to know that he had a violent temper?   
How was I supposed to know he had a switchblade in his pocket? I wasn't, but I should have   
kept my big mouth shut.  
As I turned down the alleyway, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and there   
was the punk and his friend. They didn't look too happy. I decided to lighten up the situation   
with one of my jokes. I forgot that most people don't think my jokes are all that funny. In fact,   
most of my jokes get some people pissed off, which was the case for the punk. He rushed me   
and the next thing I know is the searing pain in my stomach.  
"This'll teach you to put your nose where it doesn't belong and keep your mouth shut."   
He whispered in my ear as I slumped down against the wall, the blade still in my stomach. He   
took the blade out and wiped my blood on my shirt. Then he reached in my pocket and took   
the $10 I won from him. With a short laugh, he and his friend walked away, leaving me alone in   
the alleyway, bleeding.  
Now, I've felt quite a lot of pain in my days as a Gundam pilot, but never this terrible.   
Still I managed to stand up and make my way to the apartment I shared with Heero. As I   
entered the room we shared, I found that he was still working on that damn laptop he insisted   
on working with day in and day out.  
I stood in the doorway, looking at my roommate, my comrade, my best friend, my   
lover. He was truly a sight to be held, even with his back turned towards me. To think that I   
considered him my family was both depressing and appraising. I loved him, and deep down, I   
knew that he loved me, too. But that day, he did something that made me doubt that love.  
As I entered the room, I let out a small whimper, I couldn't help it, I was in pain. But   
Heero practically barked at me.  
"What do you want, Duo? I don't need any of your loud-mouthed antics right now.   
Please leave before I'm forced to hurt you."  
I had to admit that I was surprised that he actually said a whole sentence to me, but I   
was still in pain. And I was losing a lot of blood quickly. So I tried to tell him.  
"Heero…." I tried to tell him, I swear, but my voice seemed to have disappeared.   
"Not. Another. Word. Please leave." He barked once more at me. He didn't even turn   
around to look at me. I whimpered again, turned around and left. I think I got blood on most of   
the walls as I headed for the door. My vision was blurry and I was having trouble standing up   
straight, so more than likely, I bumped and brushed against most of the walls of the apartment.  
The moment I got to the street, I headed for the hospital. I tried to stop some people   
and ask for help. I could hardly see and I was getting weaker by the minute. But everyone I   
tried to stop would just look at me disgustedly and walk around me. I suppose I had the black   
close I was wearing to blame. No one could see the blood that was hidden in my black shirt   
and pants. I was practically crying by the time I got 3 blocks away from my apartment. I knew I   
wasn't going to make it.   
Finally, I just gave up. I went up to a building and slumped against the wall. And as I sat   
there, I thought to myself that if I hadn't taken the time to try and tell Heero, I might have made   
it to the hospital. For some odd reason, I found that funny.  
"I'm dying and no one cares." I thought to myself, as the people on the street stepped   
over me and continued to walk down the street. My vision was getting worse. There was a dark   
haze surrounding my vision and everything was getting darker. I was getting scared, but there   
was really nothing that I could do. Just before everything got dark, I heard someone call my   
name. I looked up and saw the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen. I thought to myself that   
my guardian angel was coming to take me to the other side. And at the same time I thought this,   
I also thought to myself, why are those beautiful eyes filled with horror and worry? And before I   
could think anything else, darkness took me.  
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3   
  
Okies! I was planning on not having chapters with this particular story, but what the   
heck! I thought it was getting too long and I'm too tired to try and finish this tonight. I think It's   
coming along nicely, don't you think? Well let me know!   
  



	2. Heero's POV - Blood equals death, right...

Heero's POV

Heero's POV

I was quite pleased with myself. I finished everything I needed to with time to spare. I got up and stretched, thinking about Duo. I hadn't really meant to be so mean to him before, but he just urks me sometimes. But he knew that I loved him, so I figured I could just go and make it up to him. I headed out the bedroom door, only to be greeted with a sight that churned my stomach. There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the walls, even a little on the white couch we had in the living room. I panicked.

I searched the apartment. There were no signs of Duo inside, and it didn't look like there was a struggle. I put two and two together and I was frightened. There was so much blood. I found a trail of blood and followed it to the door leading to the apartment building's hallway. There was a big bloody handprint where Duo had evidently put his hand to steady himself. I quickly grabbed a coat and followed the easily seen blood trail. 

The whole time I followed the trail, I kept thinking to myself, why didn't Duo tell me, although, I already knew why. I had been so harsh to him, so cold. I yelled at him and told him to leave. He had probably tried to tell me when he let out that little whimper, but I had thought at the time he was just trying to gain my attention. 

I looked down at my hands. I had them clenched so tightly that my nails had dug into my palms, making them bleed. But I didn't attempt to stop myself. I deserved the pain. What if he didn't make it to wherever he was headed to? He'd be dead, probably somewhere in an alley where he decided would be a good place to curl up and die. Damn, the only important person in my life could possibly be dead because of me. But if he was dead, how could I live with myself?

I shook my head and continued on the trail. The bloodstains on the ground were getting bigger. I found myself wondering how someone could just walk over all the blood and continue on their way. Was it that they didn't see it, or was it that they couldn't deal with the fact that yet another person was going to become a statistic? I swore to myself that if I found that Duo was dead, I'd first kill the few people who failed to notice his body and then kill myself. I know, it's a gruesome thought, but seriously, Duo was – is- the light of my life. 

If it hadn't been for Duo, I probably would have self-destructed my Gundam several times over. He was the one who gave me a reason to live. He loved me. He was the one who managed to make me use my emotions again because he loved me. And in turn, I loved him back, with all my heart. But, still, after all the emotions I was able to show, love was the hardest. I know I didn't show him enough how much he meant to me, but I figured he knew it. I suppose I figured it wrong, otherwise he would have told me of his injury.

I kept following that blood trail. But then it came to a stop. My heart broke. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to make someone hurt as much as I did. But at the same time I was relieved. There was no body where the trail stopped. I was relieved with the fact that I didn't have to look at his body yet. What made my heart break though, was the big puddle of blood against the wall of a building and on the ground next to it. That meant that Duo really had given up and had actually found a place to curl up and die.

I sat down and I actually did start to cry. I wasn't sobbing or anything. I just let the tears fall, not attempting to wipe them away. I was hurting badly. Not physical pain, but pain of the heart. My Duo had given up, knowing he didn't have a chance by himself. It shouldn't have happened I screamed to myself. Duo shouldn't have had to do this alone. I should have been with him.

I was mentally beating myself up, berating myself, before I realized that Duo wasn't necessarily dead yet. There was no body here, which meant that someone actually did help him. Maybe someone took him to the hospital. Maybe he was still alive.

With newfound hope, I stood up, wiped the tears form my eyes and headed toward the nearest hospital. With each step, I quickened my pace, until I arrived at the hospital at a running speed. I hesitated only a second before entering the hospital. I hated hospitals. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the people I've ever come to know, eventually end up in the hospital because of me. I cringed at the thought. Duo was here because of me. Maybe he deserved better than someone like me.

I shook that thought away quickly as a nurse came up to me and asked if she could help me with something. I told her that I was looking for Duo Maxwell. I didn't mean to sound so pleading, but that's the tone of voice that ended up coming out. I was pleading, you could say. I was pleading that someone, anyone had brought in my beloved Duo and that he was alive and he was going to live.

The nurse smiled at me. I suppose she understood what I was feeling. She led me to a room. When I entered, my heart was filled with joy and at the same time, I was filled with despair. There was Duo, alive, and hooked up to the many machines in the room. He looked like he was sleeping, but he was so pale. I wanted to go and hold him, but I kept myself from doing so when I finally noticed the other person in the room.

Her back was turned toward me, but I recognized who she was. No one I knew had a hairstyle like she did. Her blond hair was tied in two odangos with long streamers of hair hanging from them. In my mind's eye I could see her large blue eyes that were filled with such emotion as she looked upon Duo in the past. And remembering that, I then noticed the fact that the girl was holding Duo's hand, _MY_ Duo's hand. My eyes narrowed. I couldn't help but growl at her.

_"Usagi!"_


	3. Usagi's POV - Showdown with a Killer

Alrighty people! I'm sooooooooo sorry that it took me so long to finally get this chapter out. There are so many reasons why I didn't have it out sooner that it doesn't make much sense to tell you. My excuses would be longer than the chapter here! But please forgive me.

Don't own, never did, never will! If I did SM and GW would be so much cooler!

Usagi's POV

            I was heading over to Motoki's when I saw Duo. I was so happy to see him. The last time I had seen him was almost two years ago before I met Mamarou.

            I was so caught up in my memories of him that I didn't notice the fact that he was stumbling about. I didn't even notice the fact that he was so pale that it seemed as though all the blood had been drained out of him. When I finally did notice that something was wrong, Duo had slumped against a wall. The bloody handprint he left on the wall to steady himself was frightening.

            I called to him. I was extremely worried, but it didn't seem like he heard me. He was too busy half-sobbing, half-laughing to hear me. I ran to him then, still calling his name. That was when he looked at me. I think he was too far-gone to recognize me. He confirmed my suspicions when he mumbled something about an angel and proceeded to pass out.

            The moment he passed out, I screamed for help. I could see blood pooling out on the ground. That had me worried. That was way too much blood for him to be losing. After a quick check, I found a large slit in his stomach where the blood was pouring out. Alarmed, I once again screamed for help.

            I stood up and started to try and stop people. I wasn't very hard, my hands and my new baby blue dress were covered with blood.

            Two men stopped to see what the problem was. One of them tried his best to stanch the blood that was still fast in coming. The other tried to wake Duo up, to no avail. A woman passing stopped and watched the scene for a while before she got out her cell phone and called 911 for an ambulance.

            I myself wasn't much help. I was frantic and scared. Duo, beautiful inside and out, was dying. And although I hadn't seen him in quite a while, he was very dear to me.

            Eventually, an ambulance did show up. They checked him out and took over the jobs the nice men had started. Duo was still breathing, they told me, but if they didn't get him to the hospital soon, he was going to die. 

            Now I may not be the smartest person on earth, (MY teachers can vouch for that!) but I already knew the condition of my friend, even before they showed up. No one can lose that much blood and not be on the verge of death. So I told them so.

            They loaded Duo on the truck and I was allowed to ride with them (after an ear-splitting wailing protest when they told me I couldn't). I held on to his hand the whole way there. I knew that Duo had lost a lot of blood, but it still surprised me with how cold his hand was. It was almost as if I was holding a dead hand. But I tried not to think about it. Duo was alive and he would live, that's all that mattered to me.

            When we got to the hospital, they took him away from me so they could work on him. After an hour, they had Duo in recovery. They let me in to see him. He looked like he was sleeping, if not for the several tubes they had him hooked up to. I dragged a chair over to his bed and just sat there and watched him for a while. 

2 minutes after I grabbed his hand, I heard the door behind me open. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was, I already knew. I could feel his eyes burning a whole into my back.

            "Usagi!"

            I kinda cringed at the way he said my name. He said it with such hatred and venom. I understood why, though. The last time I saw both Duo and Heero, I was busy drooling over Duo, not knowing the two of them were a couple. But I swear, the boy was flirting back, so could you really blame me for not knowing?

            I stood up and turned to look back at Heero. He glared back at me. I sighed.

            "Hello, Heero. Duo will be fine, although, I would like to know what happened to him. He lost a lot of blood when I found him. If I hadn't managed to get him to a hospital, he would have died."

            Although no emotions were betrayed by his facial expressions, his face blanched at my words. He quickly glanced at Duo and paled even more. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but nothing came out. He looked at me again, and this time when he tried to say something, it actually made itself audible.

            "Please leave." Was the barely audible "something" he managed to get out.

            He didn't need to tell me twice. I'd seen Heero when he was pissed off, I didn't want to do anything to piss him off again. So I got up and nodded to him. I wanted to go see Mamoru anyway.

            I got up and took one last look at Duo. Yeah, there were still feelings there, but it's not like we'd ever happen. I mean, I had Mamo-chan and he had Heero. No, we'd never happen.


	4. Duo's POV - Emotions run wild

Duo's POV

            I remembered who the 'angel' was as I swam back to consciousness. I didn't know of anyone else with eyes as big and caring as hers and blond hair up in a hairdo like that. I thought to my self that I was pretty lucky that she came along – no, I was pretty lucky that I met her, period. She saved my life once before. I suppose, I was more appreciative than I really needed to be then. ***Chuckle* **I guess that really ruffled Heero's feathers. 

And while I was thinking of Heero, I realized, I was somewhat mad at him. If he had just turned around and paid attention to me like a boyfriend should, I wouldn't have been as bad off as I was. I really could have died, trying to get to the hospital by myself. So if you really looked at it, Usagi was an angel. She was my savior. 

Her name escaped my lips as I finally woke up. Heero was silently watching me while I was sleep, so he had most definitely heard me. Needless to say, he was quite angry. No matter how hard he had tried to hide it, I saw all the emotions that were tormenting him, and I was amazed by it. I was even more amazed at the small tear that trailed down his face.

I watched him as he made his way over to my bed. He took my hand and opened his mouth to say something to me. I watched as the emotions fought each other on his face until one finally won. I stared in wonderment as Heero broke down and cried.

"I…. thought…I… lost… you." He managed to gasp out in between body-wracking sobs. 

I was touched. I had finally reached Heero's emotional core.  ***Chuckle*** and All I had to do was almost die. Granted, I've almost died a couple of times before, but this time was different because Heero could have prevented it. Things could only get better from here, right?

Wrong. A week later, Heero was still acting like a human being, he was even spending less time on his laptop. I was really enjoying it. As he talked more and expressed more, I listened more. I guess you could say we balanced each other and neither of us had an extreme.

I should have known it wouldn't last. Heero had been emotionless for years. How could I expect him to just change overnight and be fine with it? His emotions went from one extreme to another. Most of the time, I could handle it, but when I couldn't I left the house, or he did, which ever one of us needed to cool off.

You see, after Usagi saved my life, she and I started talking to each other again. At first, Heero had no problem with it. She saved his life by saving mine. And after all, anything that made me happy made him happy. Talking with Usagi made me happy. But eventually, he got tired of sharing my attention with her. His emotions went on rampage. He went from absolute love to total jealousy in seconds. So we got in more fights. Heero didn't understand that I loved him and only him, just as Usagi loved only Mamoru. 

I refused to stop talking to Usagi. I guess that Heero thought he had to knock some sense into me. So he punched me. It shocked both of us. It wasn't the pain that shocked me, it was the fact that he did it. He had never punched me like that for no reason. I think it shocked him that he let his emotions control his actions. 

After the shock wore out, anger set in. How dare he punch me! He flinched as I glared at him. I spat out the blood in my mouth onto the kitchen floor. Then without a word, I turned and walked out of the apartment.

I'll show him not to punch me…. 


	5. Heero's POV - Blocking Memories

Oi minna! I finally updated something, ne? As it is, this chapter's pretty short, as well as the next chapter, but I really wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I hope none of you are mad at me. Things are going to get a little hairy from now on. And I don't mean that literally, ok?  
  
Heh, anyways, I don't own SM or GW, sadly. If I did, I'd put this stuff on TV or on tape, because it would be sooo much better to watch than read. At least in my little world.  
  
On with the show!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
I punched him. I remember seeing his face mirror what I felt. Shock. We were both shocked with what I had done. He stared at me. I stared back. Then his shock slowly turned to anger. I flinched.  
  
I've seen many different sides of Duo. The bouncy, loud Duo, the crazed maniac Duo, even the barely suppressed depressed side. Never in all the years I'd known him, had I witnessed an angry Duo. Sure, there's rage, but that something completely different.  
  
His anger was all I could see, and then he turned around and left. He left me there alone in shock. He left me alone with my thoughts. So many thoughts ran though my head. I punched him. I punched him without meaning or wanting to. I hurt the one person that meant the world to me.  
  
It just didn't make any sense. I couldn't handle the emotional turmoil that this was causing. I just wasn't used to is. I couldn't believe it, couldn't deal with it. So I came up with a simple solution. Erase it.  
  
I erased the whole event. Whatever had happened was blocked out of my mind. Duo's shock, anger, hurt; my shock, bewilderment, and all the other emotional problems I was having were blocked out of my mind. All of it never happened.  
  
When Duo came home the next day, I saw the bruise on his cheek. I was worried. Had Duo gotten into another fight? Had he been stabbed again? Should I take him to the hospital? I asked him all those questions.  
  
"Heero. What's wrong?" He asked me.  
  
"What do you mean? I should be asking you that. Where did you get that bruise?"  
  
Duo just stared at me. Maybe he was trying to figure out if I was joking or not. But I honestly didn't know what had happened. Maybe then he realized that I didn't joke.  
  
"You really don't know, do you Heero?" He asked me, resigned.  
  
"Know what?"  
  
Duo shook his head. He mumbled under his breath. I only caught a little of it. I heard 'blocked' and 'lucky bastard'. I looked at him questionably.  
  
"Nothing Heero, Nevermind."  
  
After that, things got worse. Everyday, Duo and I had the same fight over and over again, but I never remembered the previous fight. So I never understood why Duo always seemed to be mad at me. I never understood why he couldn't just listen to me and leave that odango atama baka alone. I never understood why Duo came home with bruises. I never understood why he spent less and less time at home with me.  
  
Most of my days were spent being alone. Before, it wouldn't have been a problem. I would have just kept myself busy on my laptop. But almost losing Duo had made me rethink and change my 'program'. I wasn't sure exactly how to cope without the loud, braided boy. And because of that, things just got worse. 


	6. Usagi's POV - Pouring Rain and a Lost Lo...

Oi minna! Aren't you happy? I posted 2 chapters at the same time. Now if only I could make this an every time occurrence.  
  
Heh, anyways, I don't own SM or GW, sadly. If I did, I'd probably put this stuff on TV or tape, because it would be soo much better to watch than to read. At least in my little world.  
  
On with the show!!!!!!!!!  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
  
  
I loved Mamoru, that I knew for sure. I didn't really care that he was 4 years older than I was. I didn't care if he was smarter than I was. I didn't even care that he had never said those 3 small words every girl my age wanted to hear. All I cared about was the fact that I loved him, and he was always there when I needed him.  
  
I guess I should have cared about more than that. I should have known that my love for him wasn't enough for our relationship to last. I should have thought about the fact that maybe Mamoru only thought as me as a kid sister. I should have thought more about Motoki's kid sister and the way Mamoru looked at her. I should have made the connection when I saw her riding on Mamoru's bike with him. But I didn't.  
  
So it came as a surprise when he finally told me that he didn't love me. I thought it was just a joke at first. Then I hoped that it was a joke. I pleaded with him then. I told him that I'd do much better in school, that I'd try and act my age. My pleading got me nowhere.  
  
I saw the pain in his eyes as he tried to make me understand. I thought that pain in his eyes was his reluctance in letting me go. But he got mad when I said so. He told me that he didn't want to hurt me but what he had to say was the truth. He kicked me out after that.  
  
I sat outside of his apartment building for hours afterwards. I didn't care about the rain that was pouring down. My heart had been shattered so the earth joined in with my tears of sorrow. Nothing else really mattered.  
  
I probably would have stayed there all night if Duo hadn't come by. I saw the concern in his eyes, the love, the caring. When he suggested that he'd take me home, I didn't fight. I told him what happened as we walked home. The anger he expressed mended my heart just a little bit.  
  
When we got to my place, he suggested that I change. When I came back from changing, I found Duo in front of a fire in the fireplace and two mugs of hot cocoa. I realized then that Duo meant more to me than Mamoru ever did and that I meant more to Duo than I did to Mamoru. As we sat and talked, I knew that it was true.  
  
And as I realized this, before I could do anything, Duo leaned over and kissed me. Fireworks exploded in my head, it was better than anything I'd ever experience. I silently prayed that the kiss would never end. I knew that wish wouldn't be granted, but I got something to compensate for it. That kiss lasted the rest of the night. 


End file.
